Ezra Brooks was a Kentucky carnival barker who traveled from town to Kentucky town with his rainbow colored still selling magical bourbon whiskey for 5 cents a shot. His legend lives on today in such bottles as Ezra Brooks 12 Yr Single Barrel. And none of this is true. Everyone thinks Elijah Craig invented bourbon and that isn’t true either, and I needed an opening paragraph, so….

What is true, however, is that Ezra Brooks is a real bourbon brand, is owned by Luxco, and is distilled by Heaven Hill. Now is usually when an obligatory shot is taken at the NDP phenomenon we find ourselves in, but as Colonel Cowdery notes, contract distilling is not new, not by a long shot, and we should calm down a bit. Ezra Brooks should be grandfathered in and given a pass anyway, if that is a thing. The problem arises when you try to hide it and ride the coat tails of long established distilling tradition. But hey, what do I know. Today’s selection is aged for an above average 12 humid Kentucky summers and comes from a single barrel. It is a Kentucky straight, clocking in at a paunchy 49.5% ABV and has a 75% Corn/ 13% Rye/ 12% Malted Barley slash line. On to it…

SWC Review

Nose- Corn bread, corn, and then corn. Black pepper with a rye feel. Wood glue. Dry and dusty.

Taste- Watery, tobacco. Reminiscent of nose.

Finish- Medium. Peppery with pear notes. Bitter ending with charred oak. Not a bad thing.

Comment- Simple, not bad, but not very interesting. Maybe a tad over-aged. Pass.

SWC Rating – 77/100

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